What should my teen boys wear in Paris?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No advertising that you are an American. Keep your sports hoodies and hats at home.

A significant amount of French will be wearing just this and all with Jordan's to match.
There are still sweater around neck types but American style is popular there right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit when I watch the kids walking to school I'm always struck by how casual kids look today compared to when I was a teen in the 1990s. And we thought we were casual back then! Today's kids really do look like they just rolled out of bed and are going to school in whatever they slept in. At least in my day the boys would throw on a polo and khaki or jeans.

Anyway, from what I've seen/picked up from friends living in Europe, wearing athletic clothes as everyday clothes is very "working class" while the middle class kids wear jeans. Beyond that I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you are well behaved and put in a bit of effort if going out to dinner.

I just got back from a week in London.
I was surprised how much everyone dresses alike, no matter where they are from.
I saw someone in Levis and cowboy boots, assumed he was American, and heard him speaking French.

I don't think it matters any more how you dress in Europe. Globalization has made everyone wear the same coats, hats, sneakers, carry the same bags, wear hoodies, baseball caps, etc. no matter where you are from.

Bring some nice pants and a dress shirt for going out to a nice restaurant, but for sightseeing, hoodies and sneakers/shorts are just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No advertising that you are an American. Keep your sports hoodies and hats at home.

It's not the sports hoodies and hats. Europeans can spot an American man from a mile away. They walk differently, carry themselves differently, etc., and one is highly unlikely to nail European fashion unless they've been living there for a while.

And really, trying to fit in in Europe is sort of cringey. Respect is what you need to aim for, not fitting in.

[Anonymous]

Whatever they wear at home. You're a tourist. They know it.

Or go with a striped shirt and a beret.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:please don't wear crocs anywhere- the French hate us enough as it is

I don’t wear crocs, but why do we care if the French hate us?

+1. The French hate everyone. No loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No advertising that you are an American. Keep your sports hoodies and hats at home.

It's not the sports hoodies and hats. Europeans can spot an American man from a mile away. They walk differently, carry themselves differently, etc., and one is highly unlikely to nail European fashion unless they've been living there for a while.

And really, trying to fit in in Europe is sort of cringey. Respect is what you need to aim for, not fitting in.

This 100000% this!! Why do Americans always think they need to cosplay another culture when they travel internationaly? Whenever I'm abroad, I can pick out the Americans IMMEDIATELY. Like this poster said, it's not just the clothes. It's facial expressions, body language, etc.

[Anonymous]

I don't have teens yet but I do have boys and I'm very familiar with France. I would step it up somewhat. They don't need to dress formally or be real expensive but I think some solid/simple tops (I personally like the look of Henley tops on my guys) and some simple, solid sweaters if it's winter to layer, jeans, and nice looking sneakers. I wouldn't bring school sweatshirts/exercise shorts/exercise pants/crocs/t-shirts with lots of writing on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit when I watch the kids walking to school I'm always struck by how casual kids look today compared to when I was a teen in the 1990s. And we thought we were casual back then! Today's kids really do look like they just rolled out of bed and are going to school in whatever they slept in. At least in my day the boys would throw on a polo and khaki or jeans.

Anyway, from what I've seen/picked up from friends living in Europe, wearing athletic clothes as everyday clothes is very "working class" while the middle class kids wear jeans. Beyond that I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you are well behaved and put in a bit of effort if going out to dinner.

I just got back from a week in London.
I was surprised how much everyone dresses alike, no matter where they are from.
I saw someone in Levis and cowboy boots, assumed he was American, and heard him speaking French.

I don't think it matters any more how you dress in Europe. Globalization has made everyone wear the same coats, hats, sneakers, carry the same bags, wear hoodies, baseball caps, etc. no matter where you are from.

Bring some nice pants and a dress shirt for going out to a nice restaurant, but for sightseeing, hoodies and sneakers/shorts are just fine.

Yep. I just got back from a few weeks in Rouen. An absolutely beautiful city but Paris it is not. I feel like people on this site judge their trips to Paris or other big, touristy cities as representative of the entire country. That's like judging how people in NYC dress and look and act as the way Americans as whole do. I cannot even *tell* you the amount of frumpy, overweight, poorly-dressed people I saw who I definitely thought must be American until I heard them speak French.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No advertising that you are an American. Keep your sports hoodies and hats at home.

It's not the sports hoodies and hats. Europeans can spot an American man from a mile away. They walk differently, carry themselves differently, etc., and one is highly unlikely to nail European fashion unless they've been living there for a while.

And really, trying to fit in in Europe is sort of cringey. Respect is what you need to aim for, not fitting in.

There is no distinct European fashion anymore. In the last 20 years, fashion has become homogeneous.

[Anonymous]

I'm a French person from Paris, with older teens, and all I can say is: they should wear what makes them most amenable to learning and enjoying themselves on this trip! Teens can be grumpy, and you don't want another battle on your hands.

If they're ready to wear whatever you hand them, then know that Parisian kids wear a wide range of things, from athletic wear to preppy. We're from a preppy family, so chinos/khakis, long sleeved polo shirt, sweater, in this weather, for boys are normal. It's true that there is a social class component to it, but you'll be put in the "tourist" category anyway... so nobody will care. When you visit your relatives, it depends how they dress, but in general, to be polite, your kids might not want to come as if they were just on the soccer field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whatever they wear at home. You're a tourist. They know it.

Or go with a striped shirt and a beret.

Maybe a scarf, too..

[Anonymous]

You don't need to dress up, wear whatever you want in fact it was mostly American tourist. Europe should be greatful we are paying all these overpriced hotels and restaurant and tours they can shut their mouths

[Anonymous]

I asked this question in a post a couple of years ago. Don't worry about it. We went to nice restaurants in Paris and didn't have a problem. I felt most people were dressed casually anyway. He did wear sweat pants and those joggers that look like khakis sometimes, but just because he was cold.

I went to Spain a few month ago with my daughter, and we were there for a couple of weeks. We went to a very nice restaurant, because it was walking distance from the hotel and the reviews were good, but we were underdressed. Everyone in the restaurant was a local, and it was obviously a special occasion restaurant. There was one man in jeans, but he still looked like a mogul. Basically, we did not get up from the table once because of the way we were dressed, but we had to pack lightly because we were traveling all over. The staff was incredibly nice to us and seemed happy to have the business. It is easy to avoid places like this though. The reviews are usually a clue and this one said formal dining experience, but oh well, we made it through and laugh about it now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whatever they wear at home. You're a tourist. They know it.

Or go with a striped shirt and a beret.

Maybe a scarf, too..

avec a teeny tiny chien you carry in a chic leather bag

[Anonymous]

I can guarantee that very few, if any, Europeans are asking what to wear when visiting the US